Bilateral fisheries negotiations with the Faroe Islands, one of Scotland’s closest fishing neighbours, have now concluded for 2024. These agreements set out exchanges of fishing opportunities of quotas and access. The UK/Faroe agreement sets out quota exchanges which will allow UK vessels to fish key species in Faroese waters. This includes quotas for cod, haddock, and saithe at similar levels to the 2023 agreement in exchange for stocks including Greenland halibut, North Sea haddock and Western blue ling. Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Mairi Gougeon said: I am p ..read more

The ScotMER programme recently held its sixth annual symposium attracting over 1,000 registered attendees from 30 different countries.  The symposium took place online over three days and showcased the breadth of active research currently being undertaken by the programme. Attendees heard updates from each of the seven ScotMER receptor groups (described below), as well as the ECOWind and OWEC Research Programmes.   For anybody that missed it, all the talks are now available on our  YouTube Channel and more information about the ScotMER programme itself is below.   Scot ..read more

An area of the Firth of Clyde will again be closed to most types of fishing activity in spring 2024 and 2025 to protect spawning cod.   The closure has been in place each year since 2002 during the cod spawning season. While there has been variation, the closures in 2024 and 2025 will be on the same basis as in 2022 and 2023, prohibiting most types of fishing activity for eleven weeks from 14 February to 30 April. During spawning, cod are vulnerable to disruption. Cod mate by lekking, a behaviour also found in birds such as black grouse and capercaillie. Male cod become territorial and ta ..read more

Cabinet Secretary launches Sustainable Rivers Audit as new Tweed season starts   Net Zero Secretary Màiri McAllan visited Kelso for the opening of the 2024 salmon fishing season on the Tweed and to launch the Sustainable Rivers Audit.   She joined the Duchess of Sutherland, the River Tweed Commission, River Tweed Foundation, The Tweed Forum, fishers and community members to mark the formal opening of the river before launching the Audit, which will help improve understanding of where management action needs to be taken to benefit wild salmon.   Màiri McAllan said: “I was very pl ..read more

Fishing for sandeel is to be banned in Scottish waters ahead of the 2024 fishery season, subject to Parliamentary approval.   Sandeel support the long term sustainability and resilience of the marine ecosystem and are an important food source for many species, including marine mammals, seabirds and predatory fish.   Commercial fishing for sandeel is currently carried out entirely by European vessels. In recognition of the importance of the species to marine biodiversity, no fishing quota has been allocated to UK vessels since 2021.   Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Lan ..read more

Consultations with Norway on exchanges of fishing opportunities with the UK in 2024, including quotas and access, concluded with the signing of an Agreed Record on 14 December. Fishing activity has now commenced in both UK and Norwegian waters under the terms of this agreement.   The agreement includes reciprocal access for demersal stocks such as haddock, cod and plaice, which will allow Scottish fishers to catch up to 30,000 tonnes of their existing North Sea quotas in Norwegian waters. Access has also been agreed for North Sea herring in UK waters, and Atlanto-Scandian herring in Norwe ..read more

We have published our new Marine Science and Innovation Strategy highlighting the crucial role of science and innovation in realising the full potential of the marine environment. The strategy – part of our Blue Economy Vision to 2045 – is a blueprint for the Scottish Government to utilise the best available science, evidence and data for making informed marine management decisions that benefit the economy, environment and society, including coastal and island communities. It also includes a commitment for innovation through using the latest technology, such as artificial intelligence, includi ..read more

The annual meeting of the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) took place between 14-17 November 2023 in London, with parties agreeing on a number of proposals which aim to ensure the conservation and best use of fishery resources in the NEAFC Regulatory Area. The meeting was attended by all six Contracting Parties to the NEAFC Convention. Key outcomes of the annual meeting included a rollover of the existing closure of the Rockall haddock box, a measure which protects juvenile haddock in the area. This closure has been in place for a number of years, and the UK worked together wit ..read more

Scotland is well known for our diverse flora and fauna, both on land and in the sea. Some of the most iconic species seen around our coasts are seals. Scotland is home to a population of approximately 121,000 grey seals and 27,000 harbour (common) seals. Haul out sites are where seals come out of the water to rest, moult, breed, and to have pups. Seals that are hauled out may be particularly sensitive to approach by humans whether from the land, sea or air and therefore caution is required in such circumstances. Grey seal cow and pup. ©Lorne Gill/NatureScot Section 117 of the Marine (Scotlan ..read more

On 7 September 2023, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon, visited the Outer Hebrides to announce over £500,000 in funding to support the protection and recovery of wild salmon populations. The award will be used by District Salmon Fishery Boards and Fisheries and Rivers Trusts across Scotland to carry out monitoring of adult salmon populations and the sampling of juveniles through the National Electrofishing Programme for Scotland (NEPS). Additionally, it will allow an assessment of interbreeding of wild and escaped farmed salmon through the National ..read more